The person who gets Dido's Songs on TV

Tomorrow night at 8pm, Dido's song Quiet Times will feature on the new episode of Ghost Whisperer on CBS in the US. We caught up with Lindsay Wolfington of Lone Wolf Music Supervision, to find out how the song made it onto the show.

Hi Lindsay. We hear you've requested Quiet Times for two TV placements. Of all the songs at your disposal, what is it about that song that lent itself to use on the shows?
It's emotional, quiet enough to stay under dialogue and has movement, which keeps the episode moving along. It worked well for "One Tree Hill" because we needed a song that could tie together three different scenes and had a little suspense - a sense of "what's going to happen?" We always need songs like that. It also just happened that the lyric "I miss you" played under Peyton and Lucas on the phone with each other, and they almost said "I miss you" to each other along with Dido! As for the Ghost Whisperer use of Quiet Times, I can't say exactly because the episode doesn't air until Dec. 5th! Let's just say the mood is right and the lyrics hit perfectly - the song expresses what the characters cannot. Tune in to see what I mean. CBS, Fridays at 8pm. Hey, I'm not afraid of a shameless plug!

When placing music, do you choose a song because its lyrics connect with the storyline or because the music itself is suited for the mood of the scene?
As you can probably tell from my answer above, both lyrics and music are important factors in picking a song for a scene. Sometimes you pick a song more for the mood because you don't want to hit the viewers over the head with a lyric, but sometimes the lyrics say what the characters don't, and that is why the song works. When both of these combine, that's the best possible scenario.

Would you say that Dido's music is "cinematic"?
Dido's music definitely fits pictures nicely. Each album is different, but I think she works well for TV and film because her vocals are soft - they don't get in the way of dialogue, which is important because dialogue is telling the story and is the first priority if a producer or director. She also has that "girl with a heartache" thing going for her. Music Supervisors always need those emotional songs on hand for the next sad or longing moment. Interestingly, I don't think Quiet Times is a typical sad ballad - it works because it has pace and momentum, but still has heart and emotion. It's hard to find a song that moves along but can still make you want to cry.

Did your educational background prepare you for a career as a Music Supervisor?
I took one class called "Soundtracks" in college, but it wasn't really about Music Supervision. It was literally the study of all sounds in film - foley footsteps, sound effects, score. There was nothing about picking songs for scenes and then learning how to license them. I worked in radio for four years and that definitely gave me a good base for working in the music industry. But moving to LA and working for two Music Supervisors was where I really learned how to do the job. Nowadays, there are many more classes about Music Supervision/Licensing/Business, but I still think the best way to learn it and get into this world is by working for a Music Supervisor. I get tons of young people who email me via MySpace wondering what classes they should take in high school and what they should major in college, and I want to say "Enjoy school while you can! Take the classes you like, and if they involve the music business, great. But you have to work in the field to really learn it, make connections and prove yourself."

Finally, what's your favorite Dido song?
I'm going to cheat and name two, because they are so different. I loved Dido's first album, No Angel, during my senior year in college -
before it became a best seller. It was my little secret and I got all my girlfriends to fall in love with it too. And then I remember hearing Thank You on Dawson's Creek and thinking "The world has found Dido!" But I digress... Hunter was my favorite track on that album. There were a couple "kickass girl" songs on it, and that was mine. And now with the new album, I love The Day Before The Day. It is so genuinely beautiful, simple and sad. I've always had a soft spot for sad songs. It's amazing to think how different No Angel and Safe Trip Home are, yet they both have some real gems on them!

(Big thanks to Lindsay for taking the time to answer our questions)

Note: All of this was taken from Dido's site and I highly recommend all of you watch Ghost Whisperer on TV tomorrow!